Biography:

Daniel Danano is a graduate in 1986 from the University of Agricultural Sciences, India, in Agricultural Engineering, specializing in Soil and Water Conservation Engineering and in 1981 from Addis Ababa University in Agricultural Engineering. He is a recipient of the University of Agricultural Sciences (U.A.S) Gold Medal and ACD Silver Jubilee Gold Medal, in the MSC courses. Currently he is a Land Management and Tenure Officer at the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, Regional Office for the Near East (FAORNE). Worked at various levels and positions since 1982 for various ministries and organizations in Ethiopia. Among the key area of expertise and competencies include land and water management planning; water management planning and design for agricultural and domestic uses and supervise water management works; design natural resources management for Integrated River Basin Development; watershed management planning, monitoring, and evaluation of watershed management programs; environmental management and protection planning, environmental and social impact assessment of projects and programs; sustainable land management (SLM) projects and programs including design and evaluation; consultant in project design and evaluation for natural resources management, environment protection, and agricultural development; has knowledge of WOCAT-LADA tools that are used for documentation and dissemination of SLM knowledge; Land administration and tenure governance advisory and planning (knowledge of the VGGT); Author of books in soil and water and sustainable land management; provided in service trainings for SLM practitioners and planners on environmental and natural resources management, taught in junior secondary schools and lectured in universities.

Abstract:

"Global/Regional Soils Partnership and the WOCAT LADA tools for sustaainable Land Management"

Degradation of land arises from human abuse of the land and from adverse climate conditions. Climate related factors such as increased drought have been leading to an increase in the vulnerability of land to desertification and to the escalation of the desertification process. The various land degradation forms affecting all forms of agricultural activities in rain fed, irrigated agriculture and the rangelands is soil nutrient depletion, aridity, soil and water salinity and increasing desertification. There is increasing degradation of soil resources in the NENA region due to population pressures, urbanization and expanding infrastructure into farmlands, inappropriate land use practices and lack of good governance over the resource base. Reversing the effects of desertification is not always possible and is more difficult for drier environment with shallower soils. Adaptation to desertification will rely on conventional strategies, such as the use of agroforestry, animals that are better adapted to dry conditions, appropriate land uses and soil management systems and diverse, multiple production systems, and water- and energy saving techniques. The Food and Agricultural Organization Office for the Near East (FAORNE) has initiated a program for sustainable land management and tenure to support countries for scaling up best land and soil management practices and responsible tenure governance systems that tackle the problem of degradation, desertification and poor soil fertility. FAO is promoting the WOCAT-LADA tools that help in assessing, mapping and monitoring land degradation as well as documenting good practices. The WOCAT-LADA Network aims to unite the efforts in knowledge management and decision support for up-scaling SLM. The network provides tools that allow SLM specialists to identify fields and needs of action, share their valuable knowledge in land management, that assist them in their search for appropriate SLM technologies and approaches, and that support them in making decisions. Furthermore, FAO is engaged at the moment to raise awareness on The �Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests� in the Context of National Food Security to set out principles and internationally accepted practices to guide the preparation and implementation of policies, laws and actions to tenure governance. FAO has taken the lead in coordinating the activities of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) that aims to promote sustainable land/soil management. The GSP aims at promoting collaboration and sharing of responsibilities so as to provide a coherent framework for joint strategies and actions. It aims at facilitating dialogue and interaction among the various users and stakeholders using soil resources for meeting various needs. The goal of the GSP is enabling the sustainable and productive use of the soil resources through: Harmonizing and establishing guidelines and standards of methods, measurements and indicators; strengthening of soil data and information: data collection, validation, reporting, monitoring and integration of data with other disciplines; promoting targeted soil research and development focusing on identified gaps and priorities and synergies with related productive, environmental and social development actions; promoting sustainable management of soil resources and improved global governance for soil protection and sustainable productivity; Encouraging investment and technical cooperation in soils.